


Lucky

by MaddieandChimney



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mentions of rebar incident
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:08:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24199489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddieandChimney/pseuds/MaddieandChimney
Summary: Three years have passed since he had been so sure life was over for him. Chimney reflects on the realisation that he survived for so many reasons, not least for the woman sitting next to him.
Relationships: Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13
Collections: Madney One-Shots





	Lucky

“If you want to leave, we can leave.” 

Chimney looked up at his girlfriend and shook his head, “No, I need to be here. It’s been three years, I want to be here.” His voice sounded a lot stronger than he felt right then, his hands gripping tightly on the steering wheel. It was late at night, the road was quiet, and from where he had pulled his car over, he could see the very spot where he could have (and should have, he supposed) died, three years ago to the day. 

There were no signs of what once had happened, only his memory and the memories of his 118 family. It was three in the morning, he had spent hours tossing and turning before Maddie had woken him up and asked what was wrong, if she could do anything to help. He hadn’t planned on dragging just seven month pregnant girlfriend out of bed so late, but he wasn’t sure he could face it alone. He doubted she would have let him go on his own anyway. There were far too many anniversaries of when things could have been so different and they wouldn’t be where they were right then, he hoped he was ready to put this one truly behind him. 

The scar that remained on his forehead suggested otherwise, the concern on everyone’s face if he so much as knocked his head just in case it prompted a historical injury the doctors hadn’t picked up yet… but perhaps he could learn to live with it and not dwell on that day and what didn’t happen. 

Maddie’s hand moved only to take the key from the ignition, placing it gently on her lap before she glanced at him and then at the jersey wall he had his eyes fixated on. Buck had told her the story, or his version of the story, far too many times for her liking. To everyone else, her boyfriend was a medical miracle, a marvel to be gawped at and admired. To her, it was this horrible thing that happened and could have stolen him away from her before she even got the chance to know his name. And to Howie… well, she couldn’t imagine because he never talked about it beyond degrading the scar on his forehead. 

He seemed lost in his own thoughts, so she sat there in silence with him, a hand resting on her bump when she felt their daughter kick. She was tired, and a little cold but she knew she would sit there with him for hours if that was what it took, just as he did when she got to another year since she had to fight for her life against a man she had once loved. She kept her eyes open and on him, just in case he needed her, absentmindedly rubbing circles over the fabric of her (Howie’s) top.

Neither of them had any idea how much time had passed, Maddie focused on the gentle kicks of their unborn daughter and Chimney lost in his own thoughts about what happened that night. How different his life was, how he had been so terrified that he was going to die before he felt as though his life had began. Then he thought of all the months after – the heartbreak, the constant fear that perhaps he wasn’t as lucky as people thought he was, the scans and the checkups. And then Maddie. 

He couldn’t help but smile when he heard a loud yawn beside him, turning to look at her as her cheeks flushed, “Sorry!” Was her meek response to the grin on his face, until he leaned over to press their lips together. She wasn’t the sole reason he was happy, she was most of it but he had so much good in his life, so much that two years ago he hadn’t realised. He could remember his conversation with Bobby so well – crying as he wondered why he survived when the odds had been stacked against him. Why did he get to be the lucky one when he felt as though it wasn’t deserved? 

It had taken him up until that point to realise he didn’t owe the universe some sort of magnificent debt. He didn’t have to go out there and inspire others or change his life in any significant way. He just had to live the happiest life he possibly could. Falling in love with Maddie, becoming a father, being the best paramedic he possibly could be was all he needed.   
“Thank you for not letting me do this alone.” He finally whispered, his hand moving to rest on top of hers. “I could have died here. I should have. All the odds were against me… I shouldn’t be sitting here, or at least I shouldn’t be sitting here unscathed. But my point is, for the longest time after, every time I lost someone on a call, I’d be sat alone in my apartment that night wondering why I got to survive and they didn’t.” 

She tried to hold back the tears as she listened to him, but knowing how easily she could have lived in a world without ever knowing Howard Han was terrifying. “I think I survived so I could meet you. So I could get to know you, fall in love with you, I would take that moment ten time’s over if I had to, if it meant meeting you.” 

He took a deep breath, his own tears falling, “Thank you for never telling me it’s a miracle I survived.” 

Maddie have him a small smile, her hand affectionately moving her hand to his cheek, “Thank you for being you.” When he took the keys from her lap, she relaxed into the seat and closed her eyes, safe in the knowledge that he was okay. “Can we get pancakes?” She mumbled sleepily, getting a laugh from the man as he nodded.

“Seeing as it’s six in the morning, I suppose we can get pancakes.” There was a slight apologetic tone underlying his voice but she reached out blindly to place a hand on his leg as he drove, “”Let’s call in sick, too. I want to show you how thankful I am.” He glanced at the woman, already knowing there as a smirk on her face from the way her hand had moved a little higher than he was entirely comfortable with as he tried to concentrate on getting them home in one piece. 

“But first pancakes and then sleep. Then I’ll rock your world.” 

With a scoff, Chimney shook his head, “Of course. Priorities.” When he glanced at her, she was already asleep, his heart skipping a beat when he reminded himself just how lucky he was.


End file.
